ADOPTED

ARF STATEMENT ON ENHANCING COOPERATION IN ADDRESSING AND

COUNTERING THE DRUG PROBLEM

Promoting a balanced, comprehensive, integrated and evidence-based approach

to address the World Drug Problem;
Realizing that illicit cultivation, production, manufacturing, trafficking and the
abuse of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances have been undermining the
political stability, economic and social development of the region and posing a serious
threat to the health, safety and well-being of all people in the region;
Recognizing drug dependence as a complex, multifactorial health disorder
characterized by a chronic and relapsing nature with social causes and consequences
that can be prevented and treated through, inter alia, effective scientific evidence-
based drug treatment, care and rehabilitation programmes;
Reaffirming the commitment to promoting comprehensive demand and supply
reduction efforts that include preventive measures addressing, inter alia, the relevant
factors that may facilitate, drive, enable and perpetuate organized crime and drug-
related crime;
Noting with grave concern the rebound of opium poppy cultivation in many parts
of the world, including in the Golden Triangle and the growing production, trafficking
and use of synthetic drugs, especially methamphetamine in the Asia Pacific;
Recognizing that the States most affected by the transit of drugs, especially
developing countries among them, continue to face multifaceted challenges resulting
from illicit drug trafficking, and emphasizing the continuing need to provide concrete,
sufficient and sustainable support to such States in their efforts to curb illicit drug
trafficking and deal with associated challenges;
Reiterating that the three international drug control conventions constitute the
cornerstone of the international drug control system;
Reaffirming the principal role of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs as the
policymaking body of the United Nations with prime responsibility for drug control
matters and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime as the leading entity in the
United Nations Systems for addressing and countering the world drug problem, and
reaffirming also the drug treaty-mandated roles of the International Narcotics Control
Board and the World Health Organization;
Emphasizing that the 2009 Political Declaration and Plan of Action on
International Cooperation towards an Integrated and Balanced Strategy to Counter the
World Drug Problem, the Joint Ministerial Statement of the 2014 high-level review by
the Commission on Narcotic Drugs of the Implementation by Member States of the
Political Declaration and Plan of Action and the outcome document of the thirtieth
special session of the General Assembly on the World drug problem, which represents
the most recent consensus, entitled “Our joint commitment to effectively addressing

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countering the world drug problem”, as the basis to build on our work towards the 2019
UN-CND Ministerial Segment. These documents represent the commitment made by
the international community over the preceding decade to addressing and countering,
in a balanced manner, the world drug problem, and recognizes that those documents
are complementary and mutually reinforcing;
Acknowledging the contribution made by ASEAN and relevant ASEAN drug
control mechanisms such as ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Drug Matters and Safe
Mekong Operation Project in combating the drug problem and promoting regional
cooperation, and supporting the efforts made by countries and organizations in the
Asia-Pacific and Europe to counter the drug problem;
Taking note of ASEAN’s Drug Free Vision and supporting the efforts of ASEAN
to contribute to promoting a society free of drug abuse and ensure, that all people can
live in health, dignity and peace, with security and prosperity;
Fully aware of the fact that addressing the drug problem is a common and shared
responsibility of the international community and the need to accelerate collective
efforts, including through enhanced international and regional cooperation, and
demands integrated, multidisciplinary, mutually reinforcing and balanced approaches
based on scientific evidence and experience, with full respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms;
To this end, ARF participating countries commit to, in the spirit of solidarity,
enhance bilateral, regional and international cooperation to effectively address and
counter the drug problem in the following ways:
1. Fully respecting purposes and principles of Charter of the United Nations,
international law, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the sovereignty
of States in choosing their approaches for countering the drug problem, in line with the
international drug control conventions, and also taking into account relevant regional
documents and the principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of States.
2. Fully respectandfulfill allhuman rights and fundamental freedoms while
addressing the drug problem, paying special attention to protecting the safety, interests
and rights of vulnerable groups including women, children and youth.
3. Promote the policies and the principle of the rule of law of states in addressing
the drug problem, adopt an integrated, comprehensive and balanced strategy, in order
to reduce the supply and demand of the illicit drugs, while ensuring the availability of
and access to controlled substances exclusively for medical and scientific purposes,
including for the relief of pain and suffering, while effectively preventing their diversion,
abuse and trafficking according to the three UN conventions and national legislation.
4. Address the drug problem using evidence-based practices in a transparent and
effective way, especially focused on poverty reduction, prevention, early intervention,
treatment, care, recovery, rehabilitation and social reintegration measures, education
and information dissemination among the youth, adapting policies and measures to
the specific needs of drug-affected or at-risk populations, raising public awareness of
the dangers and risks associated with drug abuse as well as initiatives and measures

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aimed at minimizing the adverse public health and social consequences of drug abuse.
5. Continue efforts to mobilize relevant social sectors, if possible, and invite
relevant national authorities to consider, in accordance with their national legislation
and the three international drug control conventions, including in national prevention,
treatment, care, recovery, rehabilitation and social reintegration measures and
programmes, in the context of comprehensive and balanced drug demand reduction
efforts, effective measure aimed at minimizing the adverse public health and social
consequences of drug abuse, including, appropriate medication-assisted therapy
programmes, injecting equipment programmes, as well as antiretroviral therapy and
other relevant interventions that prevent the transmission of HIV, viral hepatitis and
other blood-borne diseases associated with drug use, as well as consider ensuring
access to such interventions, including in treatment and outreach services, prisons and
other custodial settings, and promoting in that regard the use, as appropriate, of the
technical guide for counties to set targets for universal access to HIV prevention,
treatment, and care for injecting drug users, issued by the World Health Organization,
the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Joint United Nations Programme
on HIV/AIDS.
6. Encourage the voluntary participation of individuals with drug use disorders in
treatment programmes, with informed consent, where consistent with national
legislation, and develop and implement outreach programmes and campaigns,
involving drug users in long-term recovery, where appropriate, to prevent social
marginalization and promote non-stigmatizing attitudes, as well as to encourage drug
users to seek treatment and care, and take measures to facilitate access to treatment
and expand capacity.
7. Significantly strengthen the cooperation between competent authorities,
including judicial and law enforcement authorities, as relevant, in countering drug-
related criminal activities, especially in combating transnational organized drug
trafficking including suppressing illicit traffic by sea, diversion of precursor chemicals
and money laundering, improve information exchanges. Commit to address the drug
problem from its root.
8. Promote effective measures capable of addressing the links between drug-
related crimes and corruption, as well as obstruction of justice, including through the
intimidation of justice officials, as a part of national anti-corruption and drugs control
strategies.
9. Strengthen actions to address the new trends in drug trafficking and new
challenges such as illicit trade of international or state controlled substances and new
psychoactive substances through the Internet, as well as the evolving threat of
amphetamine-type stimulants, including methamphetamine in the region and the
financing of terrorism through drug trafficking.
10. Support research, data collection, analysis of evidence and sharing of
information and strengthen law enforcement, criminal justice and legal responses, as
well as international cooperation, to prevent and counter drug-related criminal activities
using the Internet, consistent with relevant and applicable law.

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11. Call on all members to continue to identify and monitor trends in the
composition, production, prevalence and distribution of new psychoactive substances,
including through use of early warning networks, developing appropriate national
legislative, prevention and treatment and rehabilitation models and supporting
scientific evidence-based review, and scheduling of the most prevalent, persistent and
harmful substances.
12. Call on all members to share experiences in the legislation on countering the
abuse and trafficking of new psychoactive substances, promote its incorporation into
the regulatory of international conventions of the substances which are socially harmful,
of high abuse risk, and endangering public security.
13. In line with national legislations, consider the development, adoption and
implementation of alternative measures to conviction and punishment and promotion
of proportionate national sentencing policies, practices and guidelines for drug-related
offences, consistent with the three UN drug control conventions, international law and
taking into account relevant UN standards, and regional documents.
14. Support development efforts, including to work to help resolve the social and
economic problems related to illicit crop cultivation and illicit drug production,
manufacturing and trafficking, and promote sustainable alternative development and
preventive alternative development, as an essential part of successful prevention and
crop control strategies.
15. Enhance the role and function of regional drug control and prevention systems,
and under the international drug control system based on the three international drug
control conventions, improve the coordination and synergy among regional and
international mechanisms.
16. Promote exchanges and sharing of experience, intelligence and technology,
as well as capacity building in countering the drug problem among ARF participating
countries and consider providing appropriate assistance to less developed members
in terms of funds, technology and capacity building.
17. Encourage the international community to pay more attention to and consider
puttingresources into addressing the worsening drug problem in the region.
18. Recognize that the supply and demand of drugs reinforce each other and drug
trafficking has multiple and severe negative impacts on the development of all
countries and call to continue to develop and implement effective prevention strategies,
in accordance with national legislation and national requirements, and while
simultaneously developing and implementing supply reduction strategies, based on
the principle of common and shared responsibility.
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